Battle Hunters: The Quest for Answers
by Goddess-Yueha Vixenelf
Summary: Based on the playstation game "Battle Hunters". This tale is about two sisters who are born into a world of fear, danger, and many unanswered questions. Killing monsters, taking care of orphans, and dealing with some crazy friends...how will these mercena
1. The Story So Far

Battle Hunters:  
  
The Story So Far.  
  
By the year 2089, mankind had made its way back from near self-extinction. 50 years earlier, the avarice and greed that had become the mantra of the giant corporations lead to the unleashing of biological, nuclear, and chemical weapons of mass destruction. The resulting cataclysm, known as "The Great Destruction", wiped out 75% of humanity and buried many of the greatest scientific achievements created by man under several feet of ash and clay residue.  
  
Somehow, mankind survived.  
  
The war came at a time when science had reached its pinnacle of development. Many of the inventions remain dormant in the ruins of the old high-tech cities now called "Dungeons" by the surviving humans. No sane person would enter a dungeon - the dangers are far too great.  
  
The surviving surface dwellers have built a new nation above the ruins of the past, yet there is so much information and technology from the previous age that would assist them in completing their return from desolation. Scientists called "Requestors" hire specialist mercenaries to delve into the dungeons seeking powerful relics to further this goal. The Merc's have only two requirements - cash up front and plenty of action! Considering the dungeons are crawling with mutated animals and renegade robots, the action part is always contracted for the next mission.  
  
By the way, these special mercenaries are known as "Hunters" and they are extremely gifted in the art of combat. 


	2. I

Disclaimer: I do not own the game Battle Hunters, or any of the names, places or items I borrow from it. However, the plot and the people are mine. (Oh, and I own my beloved Inuyasha and Yami Yugi.::hears footsteps in the distance:: AHH! It's the AF Police Force! Run for your lives!!! ::hides under desk::()  
  
Battle Hunters:  
  
The Quest for Answers  
  
A shrieking alarm thundered its presence to the stone dungeon as red glowing words spelled out "WARNING" on the Hunter's data screens. Gon had arrived to the dismay of the wary and indecisive mercenaries.  
  
Amaya's icy blue eyes grew wide as she frantically tossed the small green bottle to Skyee and ran away from the glowing stones beneath her to the safety of the transporter block. She stumbled over a trap laid by her partner and groaned as her leg broke. Falling to the ground, she threw a furious glare at Skyee who twirled her strawberry-blonde hair in shame.  
  
Skyee turned her gaze downward to the green bottle lying by her feet. She couldn't bear to meet Amaya's piercing eyes; it was all her fault, and she knew it. If only she had listened and stayed put to rest, her sister, Amaya, wouldn't be in such a predicament.  
  
Skyee frowned at the remembrance of her mistake:  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The Hunters were all advancing on Amaya, and there were only three cards left in the deck. Skyee had been shot all too many times in the ribs, bleeding profusely. She thought she had the perfect plan to come up from behind and relieve Amaya of her burden, then surrender it back to Amaya when they reached the transporter block.  
  
Amaya had given her strict orders to stay where she was and rest, but Skyee was too determined to realize her one fatal flaw. She didn't want her sister's life stamina to drop too low, but she forgot to consider her own battle scars.  
  
Skyee took a card from her deck and thrust it into the air; the card glowed light blue and floated an inch above her head. She then stood and tried to run her five spaces, falling almost instantly to her knees. Her card then dropped and vanished into ash.  
  
Gritting her teeth in frustration, Amaya used the last two cards to toss Skyee a potion, and to run four spaces away from the hissing beast that had appeared as always when the cards ran out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The other two hunters used their bonus cards to run away from the beast, and reach the transporter block using the opposite bridge.  
  
Gon caught up to Amaya in one swift leap; dust shrouding herself and the beast. Any last hope that Amaya had left died quickly, leaving her frozen to the spot, awaiting her accursed doom.  
  
Skyee scanned the tornado of dust for any traces of her sister. Instead she found the gigantic, coal-black velvet backside of Gon. She bit her lip in fright; there was nothing that she could do. Her clever sister could not escape. Skyee could only look on hopelessly as the dust cleared.  
  
It was now Lyon's turn; he took seven paces to the transporter block and in a blindingly green light, escaped to a safer chamber. He then panted and dropped to the ground in pure exhaustion.  
  
Okota, another mercenary, edged her way closer to the exit. She hadn't moved all that far, and being that the beast had shown, she didn't want to be the last one with it in the chamberous dungeon.  
  
Her slight movement caught the beast's glowing, slitted, blood red eyes. He watched Okota so intently, that it was apparent to Skyee that he didn't want any more people to escape his close grasp. However, when the monstrous hound confronted her; Okota stopped her movement and kept as still as possible. Gon gave a low, venturous growl and turned to once again face Amaya.  
  
Skyee unstrapped her back straps and dug her hand into her knapsack, fingering her silver ring nervously. Somehow they had to get out of the dungeon, and somehow she had to demonstrate to her sister that she was no weakling. Then it hit her; she could use the trinket to her advantage. All she had to do was aim perfectly, which would be a miracle in itself. Skyee didn't have very good aim; her sister was always more accomplished in that skill. In fact, Skyee had never hit her target before. Even with her usual dumb luck she had always missed the target in training practice. But none of that mattered now; she was down to this toss.  
  
'What if I do indeed make a perfect shot?' she wondered.  
  
'What will become of Okota? I mean, she would be getting her just desserts for hurting me.and she is rude and has a bad attitude.but that gives me no reason to.' she let the thought wander off as another opinion entered her mind. 'She's a mercenary, so are you! And right now you have to anything in your power to save your sister!' Nodding to herself, she took out the ring and gripped it tight.  
  
It was decided then, there was no other option. She threw the silver ring at Okota's face, missing a couple of inches, to hit her squarely in the shoulder and drop to the ground. Okota shrieked in surprise to the sudden pain on her shoulder blade. She picked up the metallic ring and held it up to the scarce sunlight shining through the cracks in the rigid ceiling.  
  
The slight glimmer caught Gon's veering eyes and he turned to stare at Okota savagely. He ran at Okota and began thrashing her with his claws and roaring like thunder, causing the dungeon to quake. Okota's mahogany brown eyes were as wide as saucers as she tried uselessly to shoot it down with her blaster-ray gun.  
  
But Gon took all of her hits as if he couldn't feel a thing and sneered maliciously at her futile attempts to live. He slashed at her and tried to make her look into his eyes, but she shot at him blindly, refusing to stare into his hypnotic pupils.  
  
Looking neither the least bit guilty, nor disappointed in her sister, Amaya crawled over to Skyee, surrendering the coin to her.  
  
Skyee grasped the stone and placed it securely into her knapsack and flung it over her back. Then she turned to Amaya once again and helped her to her feet. With her free hand, Skyee reached into her pocket for her last bonus card.  
  
Dodging another of the beasts' deadly swipes, Okota turned and stared at them in betrayed accusation. She whispered a few unheard words under her breath, trembling with fear, aching pain, and disbelief.  
  
Skyee looked away, refusing to meet Okota's eyes for fear of betraying her one chance to prove herself to Amaya. Amaya just stared at Okota, if she regretted leaving a fellow human behind, she didn't show it.  
  
Skyee thrust the blue card in the air, the "E!" glowing a pearly white. "W-warp us t-to the e-exit!" she shouted weakly, her body quivering.  
  
A single tear fell down Skyee's face as she took one last guilty look at Okota lying in a small pool of her own warm blood. Breathing shallowly, Okota stared helplessly after them as they disappeared with a turquoise flash.  
  
{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}  
  
Professor Revereth paced from side to side of the small office that belonged to the Stormgemm sisters. He cast anxious glances towards the fading portal. If they didn't hurry, they'd be trapped down in the dungeon. And, oh, if that happened he'd never get his research done; he thought bitterly to himself.  
  
Then, suddenly, Skyee flew out of the swirling portal, landing flat on her stomach. She groaned in pain as she hit the jagged stone floor. Not too far behind, Amaya leapt out and landed professionally on one foot. She snorted at the sight of her sister who was stumbling clumsily to stand.  
  
"Did you get it? The alarm went off a little while ago..." Professor Revereth drifted off anxiously.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, keep your lab coat on. We got your amethyst sample, where's our cash?" Amaya said hastily, hands on her hips.  
  
"I have it right here," he said pulling a briefcase off of a simply furnished chair of blue velvet.  
  
"Good, now give us the money, and we'll hand you your merchandise." Amaya stated somewhat cautiously. In this age you couldn't trust anyone: your siblings, friends, fellow mercenaries and especially your clients.  
  
He opened his mouth as if to protest, then closed it immediately as Amaya pulled out an X-radiation missile launcher and smirked at him maliciously.  
  
"It's all here, all two-hundred and twelve credits, as promised." Reluctantly, he opened the case to allow them to see then quickly shut and locked it.  
  
Amaya smirked at his rushed pace, she figured he was short on time.but she had all the time in the world.why not let the poor man suffer?  
  
Amaya lowered her gun to her side and snapped the thumb and middle finger of her free hand. Skyee took the briefcase from the aging, unshaven professor and tossed the stone to him. Revereth fumbled it and the gem fell to the floor. He stared at it and then at the girls, then to the stone and back to the girls.  
  
"Heh, we're not gonna bite 'ya professor," Amaya teased with a smirk.  
  
Revereth bent down slowly and his wrinkled hands groped the floor for the rock; his beady black eyes watchful of the two mercenaries. When he finally grasped the rock he ran out of the door like his very life was at stake.  
  
Skyee began to giggle, "Those scientists seem to get kookier each day!"  
  
"Hmm," Amaya sighed thoughtfully as she limped to the medical closet. "Oh, darn! We're outta pain reliever."  
  
A small knock came to their slightly ajar door followed by an annoyingly cocky voice. "Hey guys, you're back! May I come in?"  
  
"Speaking of pain relieving." Amaya muttered just loud enough for Skyee to hear.  
  
With another small giggle Skyee went over to the door to let the boy in. "Hello Domino, here to steal from our refrigerator again?"  
  
"Naw, sadly, I've already eaten," he said with a big, dopey grin as he walked in. "I just wanted to check up on my bestest friends in all of this pitiful, crumbling city."  
  
"Hah! Some best friend you are! Don't think for a second that I'm not still angry at what you did yesterday. You practically threw me at that mechanical blob!" Amaya pouted.  
  
"Awww! I thought you were finally over your little hissy fit, but I guess I was wrong." he said with a dramatic sigh.  
  
Amaya's eye twitched and she lunged at him. "Hissy fit? I'LL GIVE YOU A HISSY FIT!!!" with a one-footed leap she knocked him to the floor and started to tickle him.  
  
"AHHH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! S-STOP!!!! PL-EASE!!" he begged through his fits of laughs.  
  
"Only if you take back what you said!" Amaya taunted.  
  
"Okay-okay!! I will take it back." Domino drifted off.  
  
Amaya ceased tickling him and he bounced onto his feet. "So you're sorry?"  
  
"For what I said?"  
  
"Uh-huh,"  
  
"Hmmm.NEVAH!" Domino ran to hide behind the desk.  
  
Skyee rolled her eyes. "Oh boy," she sighed with a smile.  
  
"WHAT?! Why you little." Amaya began to chase him all over the office as fast as her limp could carry her.  
  
"I'll get you! And oh, when I do."  
  
"What's the matter, Amy? Too fast for 'ya?"  
  
"I swear I'll kill you!"  
  
"Yeah right, you need me."  
  
"Sure, like I need a swift kick in the-" "Tsk, tsk, language!"  
  
"AAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!"  
  
"Okay, okay! Settle down you two or I'll put you both in time out!" Skyee tantalized with an act-your-age aura.  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Domino smarted with mocked obedience.  
  
"Honestly, you're both older than I am by at least two years!" she stated with a roll of the eyes.  
  
"But that doesn't mean we can't have a bit 'o fun, isn't that right, Amy?" he grinned and looked at Amaya who nodded her agreement.  
  
"Anyways, down to business," he said turning grave.  
  
"What business?" Skyee inquired.  
  
"Those disappearances have gotten worse. A whole block has already been evacuated. One by one people are just gone. Only two more and you two'll be next!" he finished with a frown.  
  
"Oh, Amaya! This is dreadful! We need to notify everyone! This is getting waaay out of hand; we'll call the cops and." Skyee dropped off.  
  
"The cops? Like they could do anything to stop it. Some of the cops have also gone missing. Besides, pretty much everyone has noticed anyways." Amaya stated, glaring at the floor.  
  
"Well it never hurts to-" Skyee stopped in mid-sentence as a small girl with bobbed light blue hair and dark maroon eyes ran through the doorway screaming.  
  
{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*} 


End file.
